How about them golf game reviews?
Been away most of the weekend. Motorcycle activities take precedence in the summer on weekends.
So far, I have the following Golf games for the Genesis:
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arnold-palmer-golf
jack nicklaus power golf
pga 96
pga tour golf
pga tour golf 2
pga tour golf 3
pga-european-tour
top-pro-golf
zanygolf
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I'll start with the 5 pga tour golf games, (since they are pretty much the same as each other).
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pga tour golf (1991) (screenshot 1)
This game starts with a screen problem. You'll see a lot of vertical lines onscreen.
Keep pressing Enter/OK key, then game will start.
This game also has another problem that I discovered after I wrote this "review" on it.
Sometimes after making all your selections, (golfer, tee location, club selection, etc), the game will lock up while it's loading the course.
A reset of the Genesis will some times solve this, but you have to go thru all the actions once again.
If this problem is persistant, I won't recommend this game. Especially, since there are 3 other versions to try.
The game starts you in the pro shop, where you access the menus in a windows like fashion.
The 'd' key on the Zaurus keyboard opens the menu items. 'a' makes selection.
This game has 4 courses:
1. TPC at Sawgrass
2. TPC at Avenel
3. PGA west stadium
4. Sterling Shores.
When at the tee, you have a horizontal swing meter, which I think is easier to use than some of the swing meters, I'll mention later in other games.
This game has lo-res graphics. Screen re-draws take no time at all.
As in most all golf games emulated on a Zaurus, the swing is hard to control, and putting is much more difficult than if you were using the "real" game controller.
Hooks and slices are the norm, straight shots are harder to achieve.
This game has one feature that I like, that other golf games don't have.
After you have taken your shot, an overview of the hole comes on and shows the "Line" of your shot.
This is shown in screenshot 2
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pga tour golf 2 (1992) (screenshot 3)
This starts in the pro shop just like above "pga tour golf"
Controls are different on the Zaurus than above game. [Enter/OK] keys open the menus.
'a' makes selection.
This game has 4 courses:
1. TPC at Southwind
2. TPC at Eagle Trace
3. TPC at Scottsdale
4. TPC at Sawgrass
Most everything is the same as above pga tour golf, except this game runs without the above mentioned problems.
This game has tips given before each hole.
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pga tour golf 3 (1994) (screenshot 4)
This game has a more gamelike menu setup, unlike the previous 2 which have a windows like menu system.
The selection interface is harder to get used to. (seems the [Enter] key does most of the selection confirmations)
The sound doesn't seem to work on this game, I'll check options.
This game has a sound problem. The opening screen makes a loud click.
There is no sound afterward. There is no sound in the demo screens either.
Setting sound in options won't fix this, because all videogames start with sound on, especially during opening and demo screens.
Golf doesn't really need sound, so this game is still palyable.
The sound problem isn't a cause of my Zaurus needing rebooting, because if I try pga tour golf 2 again, the sound works.
This game includes the following courses: (8 courses total)
1. TPC at Summerlin
2. TPC at Sawgrass
3. TPC at Avenel
4. TPC at Scottsdale
5. TPC at Southwind
6. TPC at River Highlands
7. TPC at Las Colinas
8. TPC at Woodlands
The swing control is the same as the above 2 games, but seems to be a bit more refined.
It has some nice features and better looking hole overview graphics.
I would continue with more details on this game, but since it lacks sound, I'm a bit dissapointed.
Maybe there is a sound driver that this game uses, which I don't have installed.
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pga tour 96 (1995) (screenshot 5)
This game includes these courses: (only 3 courses available at beginning)
I don't know if other courses are available later in the game.
1. TPC at River Highlands
2. TPC at Sawgrass
3. TPC at Spyglass Hill
The graphics look a little better than above 4 games, but screen redraws take a long time.
This game also has a newer swing meter, which I think is more difficult than previous horizontal meters.
I didn't take the time to figure out how to use the swing in this game, I hooked and sliced very badly.
There may be more underlying settings for the golf swing, but I'm moving on to the next review.
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PGA European Tour (1994) (Screenshot 6)
Very similar to pga tour golf 2
Game opens in pro shop, with windows like menu system.
Courses included:
1. Wentworth Club
2. Forest of Arden
3. Crans-sur-Sierre
4. Le Golf National
5. Valderrama
Controls exactly the same as pga tour golf 2
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OK, next is:
Jack Nicklaus Power Challange Golf (1993) (screenshot 7)
This game also has lo-res graphics, but they also take some time to load.
Controls are similar to the other above games with horizontal meter
Courses included:
1. English Turn CC
2. Sherwood CC
3. Baltusrol CC
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Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf (1989) (screenshot
This one is actually the oldest of all games reviewed so far.
This one is close to being my favorite, because I have so much play time into this game.
This game has 3 courses, all fantasy courses, not real, like the PGA series.
US Course
JP Course
GB Course
This game has a vertical swing meter. Graphics are lo-res, but sharp.
As mentioned in another of my posts about golf games, this game plays exactly as it does on the Genesis console.
Every thing works, music is fine, (unlike other branded games). It seems like the console games made originally by the console manufacturers play perfectly on the emulator.
Another example of this is Powergolf for TurbografX
One advantage of this game is that your golf swing isn't used, if you overshoot the top of the meter.
In other words, when you take a swing and the upswing goes to far, you start over.
It's not registered as a swing, or stroke against your golfer.
I think this would be advantagous on the Zaurus, since the controls are almost too difficult to use, to play most golf games accurately.
I may be bias, but I think this game looks nicer onscreen, is easier to play than all the above, and just works better.
Some of the above games have skips in the background music, this one doesn't
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top pro golf (1992) (Screenshot 9)
This one could use a better management of screen real estate, it needs to be fullscreen, instead of the configuration in the screenshot.
Also, the moving clouds, probably impede performance in the emulator.
The overhead view of the shot being played is nice.
I could never get the "hang" of the swing in this game, as it has an unusal swing meter.
I was unable to finish a hole in a reasonable amount of strokes.
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zanygolf (screenshot 10)
This is minature golf, we call it goofy golf where I live.
The game has graphics glitches and is difficult to play.
I did actually complete the first hole, once, last week.
This game has the same graphics problem on the opening screen as pga tour golf.
When you see the vertical lines, press the [Enter] button.
As you can see in the screenshot, there are some additional graphics problems that almost make this game unplayable
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Thats all of the reviews I have for Genesis Golf games.
This is the final edit of this post and is now finished.
I found some spelling errors later, so I edited this one more time.
Edited again on 6-16-06, found a bad grammer error and changed it.
Nothing else changed.
